Assured Operations in High Latitudes
Abstract
(U) The Assured Operations in High Latitudes program will develop technologies to assure operations in the extreme environment typical of high latitudes, which has the challenges of ice, snow, permafrost, weather, and unique ionspheric/magnetospheric phenomena. The focus of current operations for U.S. forces is primarily in mid-latitudes, with existing systems and technologies optimized for use in these latitudes. The high latitudes of the Arctic comprise an emerging operational domain for which new technologies are needed. (U) Mapping the extent and thickness of the sea ice in the Arctic is fundamental to operations in this region. Current technologies exist for the wide area mapping of the extent of the Arctic sea ice, e.g., satellite-based synthetic aperture radar, but the mapping of the thickness of the ice relies primarily on electro-magnetic induction point measurements above the ice followed by interpolations between these points, which is a very slow process. The program will develop technology for rapid, wide area mapping of ice thickness to determine where to surface through the ice, as well as chart courses through the ice. This technology will build upon space- and/or aircraft-based millimeter-wave radar (based on technologies developed under the MEO-SAR program budgeted under PE 0603287E, Project SPC-01), shore- and/or ship-based HF surface radar, upward-looking sonar on fixed or mobile nodes, and new modeling methods. Enhancing situational awareness for U.S. forces in the Arctic is an additional benefit of the mapping technology to be developed by the program. (U) The program will also develop technologies that will enable a navigation and communication infrastructure for future platforms and sensors operating under the Arctic ice. This infrastructure includes leave-behind, through-ice nodes that act as beacons and communication ports, low-power trans-Arctic acoustic transmitters for GPS-like navigation, and navigation via scene mapping relying on detailed bottom bathymetry. The through-ice nodes will need to generate sufficient thermal power to melt through the ice, and advances in miniature combustion engines provide one path to achieve this goal that is superior to past failed efforts using chemical reactions and batteries. Long-baseline acoustics for GPS-like navigation has never been done, but recent scientific work on low-power, flow-frequency sound propagation to measure ocean temperatures suggests feasibility. This program plans to transition to Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Army in FY 2015.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2011
- Source ID
- b37ec39a841bdba26d58c1e8c7895a5e
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- Root: SENSOR TECHNOLOGY